The initiative follows several months of consultations with employees that started in December, in part as a result of protests that roiled several U.S. cities....

Cognizant of what a powder keg the issue of race is, Starbucks says its baristas will be under no obligation to engage with customers on the topic. The goal is simply to foster discussion and an exchange of ideas.

What could possibly go wrong? If I want some punk to lecture me on race, I'd go back to college.

Perhaps it's time to look at a coffee company that considers itself the "Anti-Starbucks." The company is Black Rifle Coffee and it was founded by veterans. Here's one of their commercials: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR9iFI7N9gU

Phrase take a powder "scram, vanish," is from 1920; it was a common phrase as a doctor's instruction, so perhaps from the notion of taking a laxative medicine or a sleeping powder, with the result that one has to leave in a hurry (or, on another guess, from a magician's magical powder, which made things disappear). Powder blue (1650s) was smelt used in laundering; as a color name from 1894.

What's fascinating here is that the CEO at no point had any adviser tell him what a stupid idea this is (or they did and he didn't listen). If we learned nothing else from the "race" discussions of recent years--and we haven't!--it's that we can't have an open, respectful discussion. It gets down to everyone calling everyone else racist, telling others to check their privilege, downgrading opinions from those who aren't the right race (or are, but have "wrong" opinions) and ultimately leaving everyone angry and stupid. Why on earth would anyone want to get into that while getting their coffee?

Fortunately, this is voluntary, as only the dumbest barrista would choose to talk about a touchy topic with customers they may have to see every day. What's next--share your opinion on which religion is the correct one?

I can't wait. I am going to suggest that White Privilege yield to an all-black barista brigade. There simply aren't enough. And no reason for it either with the legions of unemployed black youths standing by and ready to be trained to serve. Good insurance too.

Now that I think about it there are only a few blacks in the Starbucks I frequent, tokens really.

And in Seattle? At the mother ship? Lilly white up there, amigos, lilly white.

And what do they do when the customer says "the white race has been mongrelized by various mud races"? Smile and nod?

This is all obviously a gimmick to get attention for the company, and to signal to their largely left-leaning clientele that they're a "good" company (to remember next time they buy coffee beans from some slave state, or resist some new minimum wage hike). But surely there are smarter ways to do this? Sponsoring some fundraiser, or donating to some charity--but encouraging their employees to get into a potentially ugly confrontation with the customers?

When it comes to having "discussions" (lectures) about things, like any sane person I dread hearing anything regarding abortion, gay marriage, atheism. But perhaps most of all, I dread any kind of discussion about race relations in America today. Oral surgery seems preferable. And at any rate, quite possibly the very last person I would want to have a discussion with about any of those topics would be an idiot barista who is probably under the age of 25.

How dare Starbucks wade into an already existing debate. And shame on them for wagging their judgmental middle finger at us. Their archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like their overpriced coffee. I shall never drink Starbucks ever again.

How about we all drop the Aren't I Edgy self-congratulatory pap and stop pretending the country is ruled by Orville Fabus. The "issue of race" is not a "powderkeg" in 2015. More like a big, smothering pillow held to the face.

In any event, I really only walk to coffee shops that are near me. That's Indie on Regent, and also Crescendo on Monroe. On Sunday I tried the Colectivo on Monroe at the absolute worst time: mid-morning Sunday. Yee Gods, everyone with a small child was there. Next time I'll try it at 6:30 AM. Colectivo looks like it has good baked goods, but the cookie I had disappointed. The closest Starbucks is on University -- or maybe the one on State Street. Too far, both of them, especially if I'm going to get a lecture with my Grande.

Crescendo, Indie and Colectivo all serve a far better coffee than Starbucks.

Well, it's a start. Perhaps they could issue dunce caps to those who voice regressive opinions. If such customers were made to stand outside the store for a couple of hours and the other patrons were allowed to spit on them, then perhaps it would serve to make America more tolerant and inclusive. We need an honest conversation about race, and those who say the wrong thing need to be punished.

How about we all drop the Aren't I Edgy self-congratulatory pap and stop pretending the country is ruled by Orville Fabus. The "issue of race" is not a "powderkeg" in 2015. More like a big, smothering pillow held to the face.

Occasionally, I take a couple hours' vacation to sleep in, and on those days I stop at a little diner on the way to buy a large iced coffee.

With an iced coffee, I can't burn my lips and can't spill scalding liquid onto my lap, etc. They have a drive-up window so I can stay in my car. It costs $1.95 for a very large cup, and I always tip $1 because they're very nice, and they remember my name.

And they're not preachy. That hadn't occurred to me until this moment.

Is it Starbucks' management, or their clientele that produces the urge to preach?

You might not know it from the press coverage, but this was a collaborative effort by Starbucks and USAToday. I'm guessing in the cold light of morning, USAToday decided to let Starbucks get all the credit for this idea.

Great, another thing I won't understand the barista is trying to say due to my deafness. "Room?" they ask, to which I always reply, "What?" After a few attempts to be more clear I get it that they want to know if I want room for milk in my cup. People behind me in line suffer with me. A few times I've asked the barista how hard it would be for Starbucks to turn the register around to let me order my own coffee without the benefit of the person I'm talking to. I get a frightened confused look every time. This is what the CEO should be thinking about, not race.

A year or so ago they had a give a donation give somebody a job campaign, the results of which I never saw.

The whole country has sustained a decade long economic decline. So now we are left to talk about the ways our newly diminished existence is actually an improvement. And then pay $4 for a cup of coffee.

The Starbucks near where I work should concentrate instead on competing with the grocery store next door to them. At the grocery store they will sell you a cup of coffee and a fresh baked roll for $2.The only way I would choose Starbucks over the grocery store would be if Starbucks allowed me to enjoy and actual CIGARETTE with my morning coffee, and that ain't gonna happen.

Non-whites REALLY don't tend to want one, though. They just want whites to feel guilty for being white and to kiss their asses.

Nnnn, I don't think that's necessarily true. African Americans and posh Whites seem to have little interest in frank and honest discussion about race relations, but in general, I think it's more that the people with the megaphones who are calling for "discussion" about race (many of whom are posh Whites) are terrified of frank discussion. Partly, I think, because they are dimly aware that the most important racial fault-lines today have nothing to do with Whites, but that if racial antagonism betweenHispanics and Blacks, or Black prejudice against Koreans were acknowledged openly, the multicultural society would disintegrate and the country would become ungovernable. Safer to blame it all on middle-class Whites, who won't go burning Koreatown to the ground, and won't go ethnicly cleasing Black neighbourhoods, and whose ancestors did horrible things to minorities anyhow, so sins of the father, seventh generation, structural inequality blah blah blah.

Outside of English, though, my experience is that people are perfectly willing to have frank and open discussions about race, so frank and open that you absolutely could not say those things in English on US soil. In fact, that's something I occasionally tell people -- "you can't say that here in ENGLISH. Talk ________." In other languages, people still talk freely. For the time being.

I trust the baristas to know their clientele. SB isn't forcing them. If it's not the right neighborhood for it (and by that I mean not a college town where people are used to being called upon to opine as they go about their day), I doubt they'll participate.

Isn't a discussion of coffee & race always going to segue into those old sexist/racist jokes about "I like my women like I like my coffee -- hot, sweet, & white". Or, "hot, sweet, & black".

I had a friend who used to say "I like my women how I like my coffee...I don't."

He wasn't a pro-female gay man.

They made you say Starbucks. Marketing 101.

Don't know how "Man, Starbucks is fucking idiotic and I don't want to go there because of their idiocy" is good marketing.

But, hey, Burger King thought the Herb campaign was going to be great, too.

Nnnn, I don't think that's necessarily true. African Americans and posh Whites seem to have little interest in frank and honest discussion about race relations, but in general, I think it's more that the people with the megaphones who are calling for "discussion" about race (many of whom are posh Whites) are terrified of frank discussion.

Yeah, you're right. Shouldn't lump people in with their unelected leaders.

ACTIVISTS want to just shame whites. Most minorities don't really care all that much (ironically, most whites ALSO don't care all that much).

The biggest mistake we've made is humoring this unintellectual nonsense for years.

Outside of English, though, my experience is that people are perfectly willing to have frank and open discussions about race, so frank and open that you absolutely could not say those things in English on US soil. In fact, that's something I occasionally tell people -- "you can't say that here in ENGLISH. Talk ________." In other languages, people still talk freely. For the time being.

And it's sad because it KILLS racial healing.

If all I'm going to be told is "YOU are the problem", why the hell would I listen to anything they have to say beyond that? You can't have a dialogue where it begins with "Look at what you have done".

And, yes, they want to ignore the rather deep racial dissensions amongst groups and I don't think blacks and Hispanics are friendly now and I doubt that changes.

I am afraid to enter into a discussion about race with a bunch of twenty-something pierced-septum coffee-store employees who are still working their way up to actually being trusted to pour the coffee.

These are the people who laughed at me when I told them that Lincoln was a Republican, fer gawd's sakes.

Someone want to front me Five bucks I'll go have a detailed discussion about race with them: from the perspective of a white working class kid who attended a high school that was 80% black on the South side of Chicago in the 1950's

The person who fronts the money gets the coffee. Garage is also invited, I'll bring my son in law to talk with him..

In my part of Union/Middlesex County NJ, most of the staff behind the counters at Starbucks seem to be white; and most of the staff behind the counters at Dunkin' Donuts are Indian or Filipino. I think that's because DD's are owned by incredibly hard working immigrants, and all of the Starbucks are owned by the main company in Seattle; and their staff reflect their hiring practices.

If Starbucks wants to improve race relations, they can become more like Dunkin' Donuts.

DD owners obviously hire a lot of their family members and relatives. So how come Starbucks can't hire more *ahem* Persons of Color too? They're available. Are they afraid they would scare their clientele away?

Barrista:"so would you like to have a discussion about race with your latte?"Me: "Sure. SO, I'm kind of annoyed that the media ran with Hands up don't shoot when apparently he didn't hahve his hands up and the whole point was a lie. And I'm getting sick of the Sharptons of the world coming in and inciting racial tensions by always making every incident involving blacks shot by white cops into an indictiment of white police officrs. Sometimes, like in this case the officer was justified in shooting the black guy. Barista:.......ME: Anyway.. they did the same thing pushing the fake narrative with Trayvon Martin. LIed about his age, lied about the woudns received by Zimmerman; even made him out to be white Hispanic. First time I heard a Hispanic described that way.Barista... Thank you for coming to Starbucks...Me.... ANd of course our president has to weigh in and say If he had a son he would be like Trayvon. Then when the officer shot Michael Brown he immediately had to weigh in and take the side of the black kid shot, and not wait for the facts. He further aligns himself with Al Sharpton who is one of the prime instigators of this, again, Fake Narrative.Barista: Please leave. I don't want to talk anymore...ME: ANd then of course the Justice dept finds there is no merit in the case and don't charge him but then come out with a bogus report that indicts the whole police force, using completely bogus stats.Barrista: God Help Me...ME: What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?

I actually have a better slogan: "Race from Starbucks!". If any of their baristas (known as coffee pourers at IHOP) try to discuss race relations with me, I will offer a two word response, the first word beginning with "F" and the second with "Y".

I actually have a better slogan: "Race from Starbucks!". If any of their baristas (known as coffee pourers at IHOP) try to discuss race relations with me, I will offer a two word response, the first word beginning with "F" and the second with "Y".

And adding Open Carry would help oil the social interactions. This could work!

This could help ,re=start businesses in Ferguson, MO. The black teens in hoodies can sit and compare the relative features of a Glock 15 with the crew cut white boys carrying a Colt Pythons.

The Barristas can then demand bullet proof glass like they have for C-Store cashiers at night, with a rotating trey opening for the coffee.

Oh, that is going to work well - first time the cops come in, they will arrest the entire group of teens. He seems to have missed the can't buy handguns until 21 part of it.

And, what the heck is a Glock 15? If you Google it, pretty much all the hits are for 15 round Glock magazines. Next time, try this like first: Glock Products.

There is a saying that an armed society is a polite society (Heinlein?) I was following a discussion yesterday about whether you could afford to drink a single drink if you are carrying a legally concealed handgun. Most of the respondents were of the alcohol and guns don't go together. And, indeed, in most states, a misdemeanor DUI is sufficient to have your CCW permit revoked. And, yes, in most states, a BAC of > .08% is sufficient to temporarily invalidate your CCW permit. (Of course, you were talking about open carry - but I would suggest that the bulk of those who would avail themselves of open carry already have, or could qualify for, concealed carry permits).

Rather than talking about race Id rather have a discussion about why if I'm spending five bucks for coffee does my coffee taste so damned burnt.I used to work in coffee in college and we'd get coffee that taste Like That if no one cleaned the pots out wih cleaner for three days. It's dirty coffe pots. I'm serious.

"if a barista -- or anyone at any other business I'm patronizing -- asks me to check my white privilege, I'll turn on my heel and walk the hell out."

Pat your pockets, look confused, and tell 'em you think you might have left your white privilege at Dunkin' Donuts. And that you'll have to go check. Promise 'em you'll be right back (while rolling your eyes as you walk out the door).

Clyde wrote:Wait, let me guess: They'll only talk with the white people about race relations, since they're the only ones who need lecturing on the topic, right?

Good point. Lets have a white barista confront a black customer who came in to get a coffee and have a discussion about how hands up don't shoot was a lie? The only discussion that would possibly be had is one pushing the hands up dont shoot narrative. or ones that reinforce the liberal White privilige mantra.Does anyone forsee a barista asking a black person about the astronomical crime rate in the black community relative to their population? Are they ALL racist political frame ups?I'd imagine if any barista broached THAT subject he'd get a latte in his face.what starbucks wants is not a discussion but a monologue.